Skip navigation

10 tips to overcome air travel stress

Take a deep breath and try these stress-busters

Image: Use your phone, not your feet
moodboard / Corbis
What do you do if you're in the airport and your flight is canceled or severely delayed? Rather than stand in a long line, use your cell phone to reschedule a flight or get wait listed. You're more likely to get accurate information about departure times and other flights.
Slide show
  Awful airlines
An editorial cartoon roundup by Daryl Cagle depicting the trials and tribulations of air travel.

more photos

  Top slideshows
Image: The Empire State Building at night
Getty Images
  The Big Apple
Long referred to as the center of American business, New York is a melting pot of cultures and landscapes. Take a visual tour of some of the Big Apple’s most famous attractions.
Image: Waimea Canyon, Kauai
Lonely Planet Images
  Hawaiian paradise
The Hawaiian Islands are the perfect vacation destination for travelers of all types.
Image: Mount Rainier National Park
Lonely Planet Images
  National spectacles
Nearly 400 national parks can be found all across America, and feature breathtaking vistas, rock formations millions of years old, and more.
By Everett Potter
updated 9:47 a.m. ET Aug. 18, 2009

The journey, not the arrival, is what seems to matter more than ever these days. That's because flying from A to B is the toughest part of any trip. But if you're proactive, you can make your next flight experience easier and maybe even seamless. The good news is that with a little knowledge and some advanced planning, you can avoid many of the most common air travel snafus. 

Start with high fares to Europe. If your airfare searches for a flight from New York to London have left you with nothing but pricey tickets on American, British Airways or Continental, check out Air India.

The carrier stops in London on its way to Mumbai and the JFK to London segment is traditionally one of the most competitively priced. Other airlines heading to the Middle East and Asia offer similar city stops in Europe, airlines that may not turn up when you do a conventional fare search. Like another Indian carrier, Jet Airways, which stops in Brussels on its way to Mumbai. Or Royal Air Maroc, which stops in Paris' Orly Airport on its way to Casablanca.

Story continues below ↓
advertisement | your ad here

When it comes to domestic flights, one of the last truisms left about the airlines is that the first flight of the day is the one least likely to be delayed. That's the one you want to be on. And if there are weather-related delays? Well, you've still got an entire day ahead of you to sort out the flying options.

Also on this story
Slideshow: 10 tips to overcome air travel stress

Then there's the matter of luggage. It's going to cost you to check it. At American, it's $15 for the first bag, $25 for the second, and if you're gullible enough to bring along a third bag that happens to be overweight and oversize, that bag alone will run you an extra $350. That's right, maybe more than your actual ticket. Clearly, carry-on is the way to go.

  More from ForbesTraveler.com
Click below for more slideshows
That's assuming you actually get on the plane to begin with, of course. Oversold planes are still the bane of domestic fliers. More than 170,000 fliers opted to be bumped from the 19 major carriers in the first three months of 2009.

But if the airline is calling for volunteers and you elect to be bumped, you want to get bumped on your terms, not the airline's. So don't jump at a carrier's first offer. You should always try to negotiate for more.

INTERACTIVE
Image: Air combat school, Air Combat USA, California
Stress-busting vacations
The 9 best places to blow off steam.

Will the airline pay for your meals, a hotel room and ground transportation should you have to stay overnight? And how about a pass to enter their airport lounge while you're waiting? When it comes to compensation and you're offered cash or a free ticket — which invariably is laden with restrictions — remember that cash is king.

On the other hand, there are some flights you want to avoid at all cost. Like Northwest 803 from Atlanta to Kansas City, which was late more than 96 percent of the time in April 2009, the last month statistics were available. Or Continental Flight 1126 from Chicago to Newark, which arrived late more than 80 percent of the time during April 2009. The Department of Transportation makes it stats ready available with the Air Travel Consumer Report.

When that all too common announcement of a long delay or cancellation comes over the intercom, don't rush to the gate but take out your phone and call. Well, you did preprogram your airline's reservation number into it, didn't you?


  MORE FROM TIPS  
  
Tips Section Front
 
Add Tips headlines to your news reader:
 

Resource guide